Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Not knowledgeable or skilled; inexperienced.
  • noun An uninformed, unskilled, or inexperienced person or group of people. Often used with the:

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Not having been initiated.
  • adjective Of a person, not having the special knowledge of a particular group.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective not initiated; deficient in relevant experience

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

un- +‎ initiated

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Examples

  • Twitter, for the uninitiated, is like being given an invitation to one of the ‘popular peoples parties’, you arriving alone and unsure and then wandering about desperate to fit in and not look like a loser.

    Twitter for Writers « Write Anything 2009

  • If these are layoffs that bodes ill (the difference for the uninitiated is that when you fire, you get rid of a person but not the position – when you lay off, you get rid of the position).

    Wizards Layoffs « Geek Related 2008

  • It also wants to convince them that the use of bidet sprays, while odd and intimidating to the uninitiated, is more hygienic and pleasant than using toilet paper.

    People Want the High-Tech Toliet | Impact Lab 2007

  • So, a post from today shows off someone's recent cutting, healing nicely ( "cutting" for the uninitiated is removing thin strips of the upper layers of skin in a pattern or design, leaving a scar as it heals).

    R.I.P. Liz Claiborne bme_modblog 2007

  • For the benefit of the uninitiated I may add that the French word _je_ is pronounced "mwor," thus supplying the missing rhyme.

    Marge Askinforit Barry Pain 1896

  • Vore, for the uninitiated, is short for vorarephilia, which involves fantasies about being eaten or eating.

    Chicago Reader 2010

  • Vore, for the uninitiated, is short for vorarephilia, which involves fantasies about being eaten or eating.

    Chicago Reader 2010

  • And "HMU", for the uninitiated, is short for 'hit me up'.

    The Guardian World News Josh Halliday 2010

  • Vore, for the uninitiated, is short for vorarephilia, which involves fantasies about being eaten or eating.

    Chicago Reader 2010

  • (A Fobbit, for the uninitiated, is a soldier/marine/airman/sailor who doesn’t go off his or her base.

    Welcome Back | ATTACKERMAN 2008

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